McCann’s Great Big Canadian Road Trip stops in Gimli on May 27
One of the founding members of the iconic Canadian Celtic folk-rock band Great Big Sea is embarking on a one-man musical journey across central and western Canada, and he’ll be stopping in Gimli for a show that will provide funding support to the local food bank.
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sean McCann is kicking off his Great Big Canadian Road Trip in Sudbury, Ont., and will be in Gimli in less than a few weeks’ time to help raise funds for the Evergreen Basic Needs food bank.
Since leaving Great Big Sea in 2013 after a 20-year run, McCann has toured Canada as a solo performer and musical keynote speaker, engaging audiences in song and sharing stories of his past personal struggle with substance use.
Eschewing a tour in the United States given the instability and uncertainty created by U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to make Canada America’s 51st state, McCann has decided to keep his feet on Canadian soil and celebrate our country’s small towns and the making of real connections through the sharing of music and stories, as well as contribute where he can to the social fabric that holds Canadian communities together.
“I was born in a small town like Gimli. The last time I made this drive I was just 21 years old in a van with my friends (Great Big Sea). It was our first time out of Newfoundland and I remember being blown away by how GREAT and BIG this beautiful country was,” said McCann by email. “I’m a little bit older now, but I want to find that feeling of awe and gratitude all over again.”
Great Big Sea came to the fore in Canada in the mid-1990s. The band hit the top of the charts and earned several music awards with songs such as When I’m up (I Can’t get Down), Sea of No Cares, Ordinary Day, and Oh Yeah, the theme song of the Canadian hit television show Republic of Doyle. The band also covered folk songs and sea shanties.
Discovering what different regions of Canada can offer is an important part of McCann’s solo tour, and he wants to underscore the importance of Canadians standing strong and united in the face of the challenges to democracy that are well underway across the border.
“In light of recent threats from our formerly friendly neighbours, I feel it’s extremely important now for every Canadian to UNITE and celebrate our sovereignty regardless of our political differences,” he said. “Freedom is something we should never take for granted. What we are witnessing now in America is the downfall of a democracy due to division. If we love our country, we should do everything in our power to avoid the same fate.”
Connected to the sense that Canada is facing an existential threat from its former best friend is a very real need for Canadians to come together to support one another through tough times and not lose sight of the social values that make the country stand out on the world stage.
That’s why McCann said he wants to give back to local charities in some of the centres he’ll be playing.
“What’s happening now politically has made us painfully aware that we really need to become more self-reliant as a country. I believe we become less vulnerable when we make the effort to help each other out and that is exactly the work the good people of EVERGREEN BASIC NEEDS do every day,” said McCann. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link so we have to keep looking after each other, especially now when times are hard. Helping neighbours is a VERY Canadian thing to do.”
To that end, McCann will be donating 50 per cent of every ticket sale for the Gimli show to support the food bank, he said. And larger donations would also be “greatly appreciated” from those who can afford to do so.
As well as supporting local communities through some fundraising activities during the tour, McCann also has encouraging words for those struggling with personal crises or anxiety about the high cost of living, the environment and the current political climate. He’d encourage people to try to remain positive and remember that there’s always hope if one keeps trying.
“I have learned that we cannot defeat anger with anger. The only weapon that works against anger is LOVE,” said McCann who has shared his struggles with childhood abuse and alcoholism in a memoir titled One Good Reason: A Memoir of Addiction and Recovery, Music and Love that he co-wrote with his wife Andrea. “I personally take great comfort in putting my phone down and taking long walks outside with my dogs.”
McCann was awarded the Order of Canada in 2019 for his mental health, addiction and recovery advocacy efforts.
The Rural Municipality of Gimli’s tourism clerk Allan Sulyma, who brings musical events to Gimli and coordinates a host of other local events such as fundraising walks, farmers’ markets and a car show, is working with McCann on the set up of his show at the Pavilion in Gimli Park.
Sulyma said he and McCann discussed partnering with a non-profit organization and it was suggested that EBN’s food bank clients would greatly benefit from funding support.
“I know Evergreen Basic Needs is struggling to keep up with the demand for food bank services with the cost of food going up and with more and more people are relying on it, so I thought it’d be a perfect partnership,” said Sulyma.
He said he also reached out to local sound engineer Alan Norris-Elye, whom the RM uses for its local shows, and Norris-Elye will be “donating his time and equipment” to McCann’s show.
Evergreen Basic Needs executive director Karen Bowman said the food bank is so grateful to McCann for his generosity as client numbers continue to accelerate.
“Sean’s generosity in sharing his time and talent with Evergreen Basic Needs is very much appreciated. Proceeds from the concert will be used to help keep our shelves stocked as the number of people we serve in our communities continues to increase at a staggering pace,” said Bowman. “We look forward to welcoming Sean to Gimli as he brings his stories and songs across the country.”
McCann has currently secured concert dates in Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia, but not all of his cross-Canada dates have been announced.
“Momentum is still building. Lots of cool Canadian places yet to play,” he said. “I will be in the Maritimes and Quebec in the fall to finish up the tour.”
To order tickets for McCann’s Gimli show, visit seanmccannsings.com and click on the link under the Gimli concert date of May 27.
Concert-goers can also get a link to tickets through Evergreen Basic Needs’ Facebook page and through the RM of Gimli’s Facebook page.
